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Get a Blog:
One Photographer's Insights
By Ethan G. Salwen
Joe Pobereskin
Please visit “Eat At Joe’s”.
http://www.stockasylum.com wrote:
New Photography Blog by Joseph Pobereskin … June 22, 2006
Joseph Pobereskin, a veteran advertising, corporate, industrial and stock photographer from New Jersey and New York City, has started writing his own weblog entitled “Eat at Joe’s.” The new blogger has been an active member of the American Society of Media Photographers and Stock Artists Alliance. He is known for speaking his mind, even when his views are not popular. Though his blog is only weeks old, Pobereskin already has taken on issues like over-generous rights packages, low day rates and the practices of OnRequest Images, a company that essentially turns an assignment into a contest between several photographers. To read “Eat at Joe’s,” visit http://cafejoetogo.blogspot.com/*.
ES: Is blogging really worth the time?
JP: Yes, I believe it is. For one thing, it gives me another sales platform. Though I think it has to be a very, very soft sell. I’m not hitting anyone over the head. It’s a much more subtle approach. Second, I get to stretch my wings a bit. On the blog, in the context of idiosyncratic ramblings, I get to step outside of my known specialties and show something completely different. The images on my blog don’t compete with my more formal attempt at “branding” and, at the same time, they add a bit more dimension to my public persona. Basically, I can show whatever I want and it doesn’t confuse anyone when they think of my focused commercial efforts.
ES: What are the top three blogging recommendations you would suggest to other ASMP members?
JP: I think to do it right, a number of factors need to line up. First and most important is that one should know why one blogs. Photographers need to define the purpose and establish some goals or touchstones before they start. Second is to make a concerted effort not to take yourself too seriously. Too much obviously gratuitous self-aggrandizement will be seen for what it is, and it will turn off the audience. Third is to hone your message and nail it every time you post. And I’ve got some more.
ES: Go ahead.
JP: Fourth is to be certain you have enough material to make regular postings without being visually redundant. Fifth is to be certain you have the spare time to do it. Sixth, at least for me, this is a low-key sales effort. I weave my images into a conversation about something other than the image. For instance, I wrote about new copyright legislation that I thought urgently needed to be killed. I used a picture of the Capitol Building in that post. Now, even though I haven’t stated it directly, all my readers know I’ve been to D.C. and have some pictures of D.C., even though I don’t have any on my main Web site.
ES: So it’s all about a soft sell, based on personality?
JP: Yes. Really, the most important thing about blogging is that my prospective clients can get a glimpse of my personality. So much of my marketing is done to out-of-towners. They never see my print book or me in-person either. I think that the most important aspect of selling is to establish a rapport with my possible clients. Pro salesmen call it a “warm-up phase.” In the warm-up you never mention your service, you never go into a sales pitch. You establish a relationship. People want to do business with their friends, and I want to become your friend so I can do business with you. How does one establish a relationship when there’s no meeting? How does a prospect come to know you outside of a face-to-face conversation? Blog!
ES: So the blog acts as a warm-up — honest but controlled?
JP: One of my blog readers commented that he assumed that I planned and edited what I wrote, but that it reads like I just sat down and spun it out. But that’s really exactly what’s happening. I have an idea, but I just sit down and write it. Occasionally I’ll go back and add or delete something, or try to sound a bit more intelligent or articulate, or even funnier. But basically, I do just spin it out. That’s why blogging is so easy, as opposed to traditional copywriting. Man, copywriting is work!
ES: Like the copy on your main web site?
JP: The blog is a counterpoint to my Web site, which is a much more crafted message. Either you hire a copywriter or you become one yourself when you compose for your Web site. It’s very formal and structured. It’s static. The blog is more stream-of-consciousness. It’s liquid, it flows.
ES: You write a lot of information clearly geared to photographers. How does this relate to marketing to clients?
JP: I’m certain that some of the stuff I write about, while aimed squarely at photographers, gives the clientele a heads-up as to what I think about the business model. It’s a subtle education for them and they know I’m serious about the business. Again, it’s a clue to my personality, and a soft-sell on my competency and professionalism.
ES: How much time do you dedicate to your blog?
JP: The average post takes about two hours to write, edit, illustrate and upload. Most of my time is eaten up by searching for, and scanning, film images.
ES: How do you promote your blog?
JP: I sent a few mass e-mailings a week after I first started. I wanted to wait until I had a few entries under my belt, and something for visitors to read. The only other promotion is that I added my blog’s URL to my e-mail signature, so whenever I correspond with someone they’re pointed to the blog. Just doing these things has spurred a lot of interest. I’m getting about a thousand visitors a day when I’m actively posting, and about two hundred a day when I’m not.